Siegfried Fink
Encyclopedia
Siegfried Fink was a German
percussionist, composer
and professor. He is recognized as an important figure in the development of the professional percussion scene in Germany after World War II.
s and percussion in the class of Alfred Wagner at the University of Music in Weimar
(Germany). He also studied composition
in the class of Helmut Riethmüller at the same institution. After several orchestral and teaching positions in Weimar
, Magdeburg
, Lübeck
and Hannover, he attained a permanent teaching position for timpanis and percussion at the Bavarian University of Music (Bayerisches Staatskonservatorium für Musik) in Würzburg
/Germany. In the year 1974, he was promoted to a full professor and became head of the renowned Studio für Perkussion in Würzburg. He held this position until his retirement in the year 1993.
For his achievements in art music and teaching, he has been awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz
(Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany), received several art prizes and was honoured with doctorates of the Universities for Music of Sofia
and Barcelona
. For his life work in teaching he received the Lifetime Achievement in Education Award from the Percussive Arts Society
of the US.
His artistic and creative work is documented in more than 20 disc recordings (mostly LP). Fink also conducted several percussion groups. He founded numerous percussion editions in cooperation with several European publishers. Under his guidance the first curriculum for teaching percussion instruments in German music schools has been developed.
Fink composed more than 160 pieces of music intended both for study and performance purposes. His music comprises solo works as well as chamber music
, ballet music and movie scores.
Many of his students received prizes at international competitions and became internationally known percussionists.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
percussionist, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and professor. He is recognized as an important figure in the development of the professional percussion scene in Germany after World War II.
Life
From 1948 to 1951, Fink studied timpaniTimpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
s and percussion in the class of Alfred Wagner at the University of Music in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
(Germany). He also studied composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
in the class of Helmut Riethmüller at the same institution. After several orchestral and teaching positions in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
and Hannover, he attained a permanent teaching position for timpanis and percussion at the Bavarian University of Music (Bayerisches Staatskonservatorium für Musik) in Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
/Germany. In the year 1974, he was promoted to a full professor and became head of the renowned Studio für Perkussion in Würzburg. He held this position until his retirement in the year 1993.
Work
Under the guidance of Fink, the Studio für Perkussion in Würzburg became one of the world's most renowned schools for percussion. He educated more than 100 students and developed new teaching methods and new ways of playing percussion instruments, especially concerning contemporary art music. In the professional German percussion scene, Fink was known as Der Percussion-Papst (The pope of percussion).For his achievements in art music and teaching, he has been awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
(Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany), received several art prizes and was honoured with doctorates of the Universities for Music of Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. For his life work in teaching he received the Lifetime Achievement in Education Award from the Percussive Arts Society
Percussive Arts Society
The Percussive Arts Society is an international music service organization promoting percussion education, research,performance and appreciation.Established in 1961 as a non-profit, music service organization,...
of the US.
His artistic and creative work is documented in more than 20 disc recordings (mostly LP). Fink also conducted several percussion groups. He founded numerous percussion editions in cooperation with several European publishers. Under his guidance the first curriculum for teaching percussion instruments in German music schools has been developed.
Fink composed more than 160 pieces of music intended both for study and performance purposes. His music comprises solo works as well as chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, ballet music and movie scores.
Many of his students received prizes at international competitions and became internationally known percussionists.